$46 million Orange Grove retirement community to be built in Pendleton

This rendering shows the design for a 120-unit facility in Pendleton that will provide seniors with independent and assisted-living services, as well as a memory care wing. The facility will be part of the $46 million Orange Grove development.(Photo: Contributed photo)

A $46 million senior living development in Pendleton will create dozens of jobs, add money to the town's coffers and provide an option for residents looking to retire in the community.

"It is a great project that a lot of our citizens have wanted," Pendleton Town Administrator Steven Miller said. "They will be able to retire in Pendleton after living all of their lives here."

Construction is scheduled to begin next year on a 120-unit facility that will offer independent and assisted living services for seniors, as well as a memory care wing. The facility likely will have 100 employees with a combined annual payroll of $3.6 million.

The second phase of the Orange Grove development is expected to include between 70 and 100 retirement cottages.

The project, which will be built on 36 acres near Boscobel Road and State 187, is being jointly developed by Charleston-based Armada Development and Sugar Valley Capital Partners in Calhoun, Georgia.

John Gantt, president of Armada Development, said Orange Grove is being designed to serve as an active community where residents can receive a continuum of care.

He said the development will feature a restaurant-style dining room, bistro and sports bar. Other amenities will include a fitness center, activity room and salon as well as an outdoor fire pit, an outdoor grill area, walking trails, a pickle ball court, a putting green and a gardening area for residents.

Armada was formed four years ago by a team of former resort developers, Ganntt said. The company has built a pair of workforce-housing apartment complexes near Charleston and a third complex is under construction in Savannah, Georgia. Armada also is building a retirement community in Myrtle Beach.

Gantt said Pendleton's proximity to Clemson appealed to his company. He also said the development will fill a void that exists for seniors living between Clemson and Anderson.

Responding to a request from the town of Pendleton, the Anderson County Council gave preliminary approval this week to a fee-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with Armada Development. The agreement calls for the company to receive nearly $11.5 million in incentives from the county during the next 30 years.

In a September letter to county officials, Pendleton Mayor Frank Crenshaw said the development is critically important to his town's "well being and continued financial success."

Miller said the town expects to receive around $200,000 annually in property tax revenue from the development after it is completed.

The Orange Grove will be part of a larger 350-acre mixed-use development known as The Grove at Pendleton that is already home to a Waffle House and a recently opened recreational vehicle park. Miller said work also is underway on a 60-unit subdivision.

Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns said county officials were happy to assist the town in luring the senior living community to Pendleton.

"We think it is going to great for Pendleton and we think it is going to be great for Anderson County," he said.

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